Bryan Strawser

You are here: Home / Archives for 2004

Archives for 2004

Respecting the Cock

by ·

Last week, before heading next door for eight hours of interviewing candidates, I was hanging out at a local Panera Bread sipping some fine coffee and taking advantage of their free WiFi – skimming the news and doing some work.

Coffee, of course, causes one to eventually have to visit the facilities. So I wandered down the hall and took my place at the urinal.

After a moment, an older man came in who appeared to be in his seventies. He was wearing a ballcap.

Out of the corner of my eye I notice that prior to approaching the urinal he removed his ballcap. He did his business – and then after stepping back from the urinal (I was now washing my hands) he placed his cap back on.

He must have noticed me looking at him rather oddly – after all, who removes their ballcap in this day and age inside a restroom – so he turns to me and says, “You gotta respect the cock”. And then he walks out.

I haven’t laughed so hard for weeks.

Anonymous on the Global War on Terror

by ·

Former Air Force Officer (and pilot) John Robb writes today about CIA Officer who recently wrote a book Imperial Hubris about the Global War on Terror. Some interesting points:

# Al Qaeda and its ilk represent a national security threat to the US. This is war and it is going to last a long time.
# The tempo of attacks and activity within al Qaeda and other Islamic extremist organizations is increasing.
# Polls in the Islamic world indicate that our policies are opposed by 80-90% of the people (not our way of life). This is the basis of al Qaeda’s support.
# The policies opposed: Our military presence in Saudi Arabia. Our support for appostate regimes in the Islamic world (Egypt and Saudi Arabia). Our unqualified support for Israel. Pressure to maintain low oil prices. Support for regimes that surppress muslims (India and China).
# These policies cannot be debated within the US political system.
# Democracy can’t be exported.
# The solution is to revise our policies to meet the needs of the Islamic world because it is in our interest — or — if we can’t do that, we should be ruthless in our use of military power.
# Our military posture is defensive. It should be aggressive. Our generals have become bureaucrats. To win this militarily, it is going to require a high body count.
# No single official will be faulted in the 9/11 report (and therefore nobody will be fired), despite substantial failures.

There are many good points here. Some of which I agree with – others that I do not necessarily agree with – but eyeopening nonetheless.

I’ve been telling people over the last few weeks two revelations that I’ve had in recent weeks.

The first is that I will likely see suicide bombings here in the United States within my lifetime.

The other, from a speech by Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker a month or so ago, is that we will likely be at war with Islamic fundamentalists for the rest of our lives.

The world changed on September 11th – and there are some in this country that still doesn’t recognize that…

An Open Letter from Michael Moore

by ·

More blather from Michael Moore in this open letter to Bill Timmins, the President of Alladin Casino.

I understand from the news reports I’ve read that, after Linda Ronstadt, one of America’s greatest singers, dedicated a song to me from your stage on Saturday night, you instructed your security guards to remove her from the Aladdin, which they did.

What country do you live in? Last time I checked, Las Vegas is still in the United States. And in the United States, we have something called “The First Amendment.” This constitutional right gives everyone here the right to say whatever they want to say. All Americans hold this right as sacred. Many of our young people put on a uniform and risk their lives to defend it. My film is all about asking the questions that should have been asked before those brave soldiers were sent into harms way.

Apparantly Mr. Moore has a warped view of the First Amendment – as it exists to protect citizens from restrictions on free speech on the part of the government – thus the reason that the amendment starts off with the phrase “Congress shall make no law…”.

See, it’s pretty simple. It’s Mr. Timmin’s stage. If he doesn’t like what he hears on that stage – and it’s clear that many of his guests didn’t like what they heard – he has every right in the world to toss her off of that stage. And that’s exactly what he did.

And that’s freedom.

Apparently Mr. Moore wants something else…

Golf at Maplegate

by ·

Yesterday, I played golf with a foursome from the real job at Maple Gate Country Club in Bellingham, Massachusetts – up I-495 about thirty miles from my home.

I just started playing golf seriously eleven months ago – so I have many things left to learn. Yesterday, though, was the best day I’ve yet on the course.

From the first hole, I was hitting my driver straight – and at anywhere from 160 – 220 yards – getting good distance for me. I tend to be a soft hitter, you see. Once I get the control down, I’ll worry about the speed of my swing. Control is a bigger factor.

For the first four holes, I was sitting right at par, which is outstanding. And, I had a birdie attempt on a Par-3, which was a first for me. Not a bad start.

On the 15th (a par three), I hooked my shot and ended up far off one side of the elevated green – actually on the fairway of the neighboring hole. A punch shot up through the trees dropped me about five feet from the hole for an easy shot. One of my better shots of the day.

On the 16th (a par five), I dropped my 2nd shot into a bunker just short of the green. My favorite club is my Callaway Forged Wedge with the nice rusted finish. A quick shot out of the sand flew onto the green and about twelve feet from the cup. Unfortunately, I two-putted for a par. But it was the best shot of the day.

Finished at 109 – so I’ve hit the first goal – breaking 110. Had I not shot 11 on the 10th hole and putted a bit better (or made one of my four birdie attempts), I would have broken 100 for the first time.

Now I sit here wishing I had gotten out of bed and walked onto Lakeville Country Club this morning just to play another eighteen. Oh well.

Sentences

by ·

As a Criminal Justice professional, I have a strong interest in news about crime and sentencing. I’ve always felt that judges should be provided with wide discretion in sentencing. Granted that this often means that the public may not be happy when a judge chooses to be lenient – but it also means that judges get to drop the hammer on someone when circumstances warrant – rather than having to use calculus to come up with a sentencing structure. Specifically, the federal courts and Massachusetts’s Criminal Courts use a sentencing matrix – and this drives me absolutely crazy.

I have a professional interest in this in the areas of identity theft, felony and misdemeanor (petty theft in Massachusetts) theft, and related crimes that I deal with at work. But that’s not my point.

Indiana doesn’t use a sentencing matrix or any crap like that – and thus we get wonderful sentences like this one, reported in yesterday’s Indianapolis Star:

Anthony Keith Brown and two of the police officers he tried to kill stared at each other in a Marion County courtroom Friday.

“You wasn’t laughing that night, was you?” Brown said, after the judge and most of the spectators had left the courtroom.

“I am now,” Officer Andy Lamle replied.

Officer Frank Miller II got in the last word as deputies ushered Brown away to begin serving a 126-year prison sentence:

“Enjoy your cage,” Miller said.

Brown led police on a car chase in December 2002, then unleashed a barrage of bullets at three Indianapolis Police Department officers.

Judge Sheila Carlisle of Marion Superior Court sentenced Brown on Friday for the attempted murders of Miller, Lamle and Officer Linda Jackson, who did not attend the sentencing.

Carlisle said a long prison term was the only way to protect society from the 26-year-old Brown.

“He clearly has a pattern of three things: guns, drugs and disregard for police authority,” Carlisle said in court. “If Mr. Brown is out in our community, or any other community, he’s going to get involved in criminal activity.”

A jury convicted Brown on May 12 of three counts of attempted murder, dealing cocaine and other crimes.

Brown repeatedly fired a rifle at the police officers during the Dec. 21, 2002, shootout.

“This defendant is an animal and deserves to be locked up for the rest of his life,” Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said after the hearing.

After leading police on a car chase, Brown fired at least 34 shots from a MAK 90 assault rifle at the officers near Sherman Drive and 32nd Street.

The Massachusetts Criminal Code takes up about three inches on my shelf in my office. The Indiana Code takes up about 1/2 of an inch.

Which system is more effective? There’s no question.

The Bl(A)ck Tea Society, one

by ·

The Bl(A)ck Tea Society, one of the leftist groups planning on protests during the Democratic National Convention next week in Boston has this little ditty on their website:

Scenario III: “Liberation/De-arrest”

This is an extremely high-risk procedure. If done correctly, it works. If done incorrectly, it is likely to result in serious repercussions. You must be able to quickly assess the situation and decide on whether or not to attempt a de-arrest. Things to take into consideration are the weight of the consequences. Is your comrade being arrested carrying something that will trigger ridiculous charges? Is it worth the risk? Is your comrade of a foreign nationality or here illegally? What are your chances?

If you decide to proceed, the general scenario of an arrest has various stages. The police stop, physically restrain the person, and eventually place the person in handcuffs and take him/her away. Any de-arrest must be done before the handcuffs are put on. Basic martial arts knowledge is helpful, or at least a basic knowledge of various holds and how to get out of them (specifically if the person being arrested is going to try to get out of a hold).

When de-arresting, everything must happen quickly. Whether freeing yourself from a hold or assisting someone else to get out of a hold, follow through in the same direction you are facing. You do not have time to physically turn around.

The basic idea of an assisted de-arrest is a hit and run. This scenario is specifically when the person being arrested is on the ground with one cop on his/her back. Two people are required to complete this de-arrest in addition to the person being arrested. The first person needs to knock the cop off balance and off of your comrade’s back. The first person should cross his/her arms over his/her chest and hit from the side. The second person needs to pick your comrade up off the ground and get him/her running. This is a one shot deal. Regardless of whether or not you are successful, you do not get a second chance. ONCE A DE-ARREST HAS OCCURED OR BEEN ATTEMPTED, THE PEOPLE INVOLVED ARE DONE FOR THE DAY! ALTER YOUR APPEARENCE AND GO HOME! YOU MAY NOT BE SEEN IN PUBLIC AGAIN!

Liberation can be successful, but carries the risk of massive consequences. Liberation is most effective when all points involved are ready and react without hesitation. It is easier to do this if you attend a training or practice doing it. As always, be safe, and be aware of your surroundings.

Yup, that’s what these folks endorse.

De-Arresting.

Also known as assaulting and attacking police officers.

I could post some of the other dribble on their website, but it’s simply not worth the space on this weblog.

Sparks Fly during UN Debate in House

by ·

Apparently some sparks flew during a House debate on Friday about inviting UN Election Monitors to observe the fall Presidential Elections:

Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., and several other House Democrats have made that suggestion. They argue that some black voters were disenfranchised in 2000 and problems could occur again this fall.

“We welcome America to observe the integrity of our electoral process and we do not ask, though, for the United Nations to come as monitors at our polling stations,” Buyer said.

“I come from Florida, where you and others participated in what I call the United States coup d’etat. We need to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Brown said. “Over and over again after the election when you stole the election, you came back here and said, ‘Get over it.’ No, we’re not going to get over it. And we want verification from the world.”

At that point, Buyer demanded that Brown’s words be “taken down,” or removed the debate’s permanent record.

The House’s presiding officer, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, ruled that Brown’s words violated a House rule.

“Members should not accuse other members of committing a crime such as, quote, stealing, end quote, an election,” Thornberry said.

When Brown objected to his ruling, the House voted 219-187 to strike her words.

I’m not sure what is scarier…

The fact that some members of Congress actually want the UN to monitor our elections…

Or that 187 agreed to keep her comments in the record.

A coup d’etat? Come on.

And someone elected that woman into the House. Unbelievable.